Raised By Wraith
by StrangeHappenings
Summary: Before he was Koyla's prisoner, Todd adopted an infant child that was far from human and raised her as a wraith. Decades later and she's just a ruthless as a wraith queen and equally feared. Her family is unconventional, but she wouldn't trade it for the world. Let alone, let anyone take it from her.
1. Part I

Raised By Wraith

AN: If you've read any of my other stories this one is going to a bit different. It's a bit more of snapshots/drabbles than actual chapters. The chapters will vary greatly in length and content but as the story progresses they may get longer.

For Reference:

_Anything written like this, are thoughts spoken using telepathy, meaning communication through minds._

**_Anything written like this are spoken using telepathy and out loud_**

Part I

(Start)

Looking back the wraith, later given the name of Todd, by the humans, realized he had never been a normal wraith. Or at least not since that day… His hive had landed on that planet… It wasn't a particularly special planet. It had food but not much else, not that it mattered to the wraith.

Todd walked around the village watching the humans run. It was like every other culling. Then he noticed something abnormal. There was a child laughing…

Frowning Todd made his way toward the offending noise. He didn't even notice how the laughter was echoing in his head. When he finally located the child he noticed the child was alone.

Normally, children are the first taken to safety, so why was this child all alone. Out of the corner of his eyes he saw something move. It was a second child; this one was older and not nearly as frightened by Todd as he should have been. Todd's lip curled upward displaying his fearsome teeth to the boy.

"She's a devil." He whispered, "They sent me to kill her. I don't want to kill her. She's just a baby."

"A devil you say?" Todd growled as he lifted the child up. The child opened her blue-orange eyes and they were full of fire and life. Todd wasn't sure why but he pulled her closer to his body. He began cradling her to his chest without even realizing what he was doing.

"She has seen the pits of hell, that's why her eyes hold fire." The boy said

"She is something so very far from human." Todd looked at her and he felt something, something he couldn't quite place.

"And that is why they sent me to kill her. I don't want to kill her mister wraith. She does this thing where she gets in your head. Makes you want to save her… I don't think she's a demon mister wraith. Even before she got in my head I thought that." The boy took a deep breath and Todd turned to look at him, still cradling the unusual child, "And I don't care if you kill me, but her… No one wants her and everyone wants the wraith dead. She will be safer with you than any human."

"You have thought about this quite a bit have you not? It is an unusual trait so young, human child."

"That is what they tell me. And why they sent me to kill her. They will send others when I do not return." Todd was ignoring the boy and looking at the child once again.

_"__They say you get in people's heads. Can you get into mine?" _ Todd asked in her head. He didn't hear a response but the he felt and saw one. Images of a child being abandon… abused and crying. He felt the pain, the despair and… starvation.

_"__So very fascinating…_" He thought back and she broadcasted a feeling of hope.

_"__Child… I do not understand what you are trying to say or do. Why were you laughing?" _She didn't broadcast anything that time.

"She can't answer in words, she uses other people to do that. I can feel her picking out the words she wants me to use. She understands words but cannot speak herself. Occasionally, she can show a person flashes of her past but never a true memory."

"Tell me what she said!" Todd growled wanting to know why this child was so unlike another creature he had known.

"'Pain… they laugh at my pain. I laugh at theirs. Do you understand? Or are you like them?'" The boy told Todd.

_"__I am nothing like these humans. I am hated by them… I eat humans… what do you eat?"_

"'I eat whatever I can… It matters not what it is.'"

_"__Good."_ Todd told her with a smile, one could call it a cruel smile but then again that could be due to Todd's sharp teeth. He then turned to the boy, "I will protect her and teach her how to protect herself… I do not do this often but would you like to accompany us? You would be a wraith worshipper and assigned to her personal care but I would ensure that you are treated well."

"Mister Wraith, I appreciate the offer but I don't think that I would be able to that. I want to… I really do… But I can't…" Todd would have just eaten the boy but something about the tone in voice stopped the wraith.

"I will allow you to live, however you must make something of yourself. I want to be able to tell her stories of you… The boy who saved her life and showed no fear… A human who is more than just food." Todd nearly snarled at the end because he was acting so out of character it disgusted him… Perhaps it was this child causing him to act so... Paternal… Or perhaps she only proved what he already knew… That he was never what could be considered a normal wraith.

"I will. You will hear of me and you will know of me… I will make something of this town. Of this place… of this galaxy." His eyes shined with determination and Todd knew this boy would become something.

"Good. Now the culling is almost over. I will take my leave and you will tell the villagers that the child was gone before you returned."

"Yes sir mister wraith." The boy was happy the girl would be safe but he was also wary of what she could become with a wraith as her only parent. He still smiled at the sight of the wraith gently cradling the child to his chest. They looked so human the boy couldn't help but chuckle slightly. The wraith was looking at her with a gleam in his eyes that made the boy think that perhaps this wraith would raise her right and make her strong enough to protect herself. Maybe everything would work out for the best.

(Line Break)

The child's body grew quickly as did her mind. Todd was surprised to find the girl's natural hair color was a shade of grayish purple. However it did help his child blend into the purplish walls of the hive.

The wraith on Todd's ship grew used to her presence even if they didn't fully understand it. They soon saw her as a wraith. She was just like them. And it wasn't unusual to see her running through the halls of the ship chased by wraith soldiers or the worshippers. This would go on for hours before Todd would scoop her up in his arms and dismiss whoever was chasing his child.

He loved his daughter or at least he believed that was the emotion he associated with her.

_"__I'm sleepy father."_ Her voice rang in his head and he looked down at the bundle in his arms.

_"__Let's get you to bed then. Tomorrow is a going to be a long day. We have a culling to see to." _He told her with a slight smile. Walking back to her room, he held his daughter in one arm as he pulled the sheets back. Careful not to wake his child he placed her in the bed.

_"__Good night my child."_ He whispered in her mind as he tucked her into bed. He stood there for a while watching her sleep. She was young but older than most in a paradoxically way. Her body was about 5 years in age but she had only been with him for three years. She was barely a toddler yet she was older. He was worried for his daughter. She wasn't like anything he had ever seen or heard of. She was something else entirely. He didn't even know how long she would live. He had no idea what to do. He sighed before leaving the room after all he still had work to do.

(Line Break)

It was pure chaos it thrilled not only him but his child as well. She was running among the fleeing humans laughing tripping them up before running back to her father's side. He smiled as he watched his child play. Her purple hair made her easy to spot so when a human picked up his child he sprung into action. He grabbed the human by the neck and dug his nails into the human's throat.

**_"_****_Give me back my child!"_** He growled, the human was weeping and trying to hide the struggling child behind herself. Another human was trying to pull the child away further away from the wraith.

"No, a monster like you could never raise a human child." The human screamed crying trying to push the

"Let go of me! Father!" The child screamed trying to get away from the humans.

"What?!" The human screamed confused trying to keep the child away from the wraith.

"That girl is my daughter. I don't think you understand what you have done by trying to take her. We were only going to cull this planet now we are going to destroy it, for you have sealed your fate by trying to take my daughter. I will let you both live, if only to endure the end of your world." Todd growled moving his hand to the humans shoulder and crushing it. The human screamed out and his child ran to his side after kicking the other human holding her. She was laughing at the human screaming in pain.

_"__Shall we go now father?" _ She asked in his head glaring at the humans.

_"__Yes I think so. I will enjoy this but we need to teach you self defense as this cannot happen again." _He laughed cruelly before picking up his daughter and moving back towards the hive ship.

**_"_****_YAY! Destroying planets!"_** His child cheered from her perch on his shoulder.

_"__Can I fire the weapons?" _She asked when the arrived back at the hive ship.

_"__Of course, my child." _He smiled

(To Be Continued)


	2. Part II

Raised By Wraith

AN: Thank you everyone who reviewed or followed or favorited. It's sort of like the last chapter in how it's split up. Also, the girl doesn't really have a name since wraith don't have names themselves, they just kinda know who they are talking to, she will always be referred as child (so something similar) so in a way that's her name. I hope you like this chapter it was fun to write.

For Reference:

_Anything written like this, are thoughts spoken using telepathy, meaning communication through minds._

**_Anything written like this are spoken using telepathy and out loud._**

Part II

(Start)

Todd took training his child in self-defense very seriously. He wanted her to be able to protect herself from the humans on the planets they culled, as she did love attending them. The wraith had also promised to teach her when he agreed to take her in. However, it was different now, he wanted her safe and in a way he wanted to protect her yet at the same time he wanted her to able to stand on her own. It was an oxymoron, but teaching her how to fight was the best way he saw to accomplish both. In a handful of years, which were nothing to a wraith, he had become increasing attached to her. Looking back, he laughed as he remembered the disgust he felt when he began acting parental towards her. Now, that disgust was a distant memory and what was left were the instincts to protect and nurture that he didn't know wraith had. Yet his whole ship apparently had them as they all cared for her, she was a part of this hive now. Wraith had never been cold hearted to begin with. They were merely reserved, perhaps too reserved and now with a child that was fragile

_"__Inhale, focus your mind, find your strength." _He walked around his mediating daughter.

**_"_****_Now strike."_** She stood up fluidly, picking up the wooden staff he had given her and lashed out where she thought her father was. Todd jumped backwards to avoid the strike and smiled gently at her.

_"__Impressive, in the past few days you have improved greatly."_ He approached her and ruffled her hair lightly with his non-feeding hand. She beamed back up at him.

"Father…" She called looking up at him with a puzzled look on her face.

**_"_****_Yes?"_**

_"__What am I?" _Todd looked at for a moment. He wasn't entirely surprised by her question. After all hives don't really have secrets, it was just a consequence of being a race of telepaths. And he knew, his child was still suffering the side effects of the abuse she endured at such young age.

**_"_****_What do you mean?"_** He asked, wanting to hear what she was thinking in a coherent though about before responding.

_"__I know I'm not a wraith and I know I'm not human… Humans can't do the things I can or even dream the dreams I have. So what am I?"_ Her eyes were shinning more than usual. The orange in them was toned down and the blue took over making her look as if she was about to cry. Todd knelt down and compressed himself so he could look her in the eyes.

**_"_****_You may have not been born a wraith, but you are my daughter, my child."_** He told her with what was probably considered a gentle smile.

**_"_****_Thank you."_** She wrapped her arms around him. Todd picked her up and cradled her to his chest. Her body was growing faster than her mind was maturing.

_"__One day child, we shall find out. But right now, we need to get you some food. You must keep your strength up in order to train your mind and body." _The child smiled at her father, and the thought of becoming stronger.

"Father? One day everything will make sense…. Right?" She looked up at him, still unsure about everything because not even she knew what she was.

_"__Of course. Now do you wish to eat? We have fruit from the last planet we culled."_ He informed her as he walked towards the makeshift kitchen/cupboard, which was really a hibernation pod they had adjusted to keep the food cool and where the child's food was stored. She was the only on ship who ate regular food aside from the worshippers and the occasionally wraith with a craving.

**_"_****_Do we have the red ones?"_**

_"__Of course, those are your favorites are they not?"_

(Line Break)

It was late, his child was already asleep in her bed, but he didn't know what to do. The rate at which her body was growing was concerning Todd. Her mind was mature in some aspects and not others. He didn't know if this was normal for her species or if he should concerned. She appeared to understand science and other complex things of that nature, but she was still very childish. She was aging at a slightly slower pace than before, but it was still accelerated when compared to a human. Then again, his daughter isn't human… He did not know what his daughter was.

"Hmm." He growled lightly contemplating what to do. A blood test would probably be best to estimate her lifespan, but he didn't want to draw her blood. It didn't sit right with him. Teaching her to fight was one thing, but sticking a needle in her skin and drawing out something so precious just to satisfy his own curiosity. He didn't think he could it. His child wasn't sick and if something was wrong, she would tell him but –

_"__Father you're thinking too loudly."_ His daughter appeared in the doorway of his room wrapped in a blanket that had taken from one planet or another.

**_"_****_My apologies,"_** He walked over to her quieting his thoughts and picked her up. Sitting down with her on his lap.

"Just so you know, I'm not sick. I don't know exactly how my aging works, but I believe I'll live a long time. Sometimes I dream of things like that… What I am, I mean. I dream can control things like fire and water… Sometimes I cause quakes. I don't know what it means, but… Father, what if I what I dream is true?" His child gripped his coat tighter and closed her eyes as if to block out the pressure the idea of controlling such forces placed on her.

_"__Then we will deal with it when it happens. Now, go to sleep we will see if those dreams have merit later."_ He relaxed back into the couch he was sitting on and began producing various noises that reverberated in his chest, lulling his child to sleep.

(Line Break)

**_"_****_We're under attack Commander!" _**Todd growled as he was informed of this. He had been in the middle of helping his child select new clothing from the rather large and diverse collection they had acquired from various planets they had culled. She had grown yet again and selecting clothing that was functional and warm was always a challenge. Even more so because in another few months she would outgrow her clothing.

"Wraith?" His child asked the soldier, as she stepped out of what was similar to a closet.

_"__Yes, it seems they want one of the planets under our control. Specifically the one we get fruit and clothing from. It would be of little use to them though."_

"It's an attack against us then." Todd knew that not having a queen was dangerous, but he didn't expect an outward attack.

**_"_****_Let's destroy them, then. They may be wraith, but they clearly want a war and in the end to rule over us. Humans wanted me dead if these wraith want the same thing, then they are no different."_** The child spoke with a somewhat cruel smirk on her face. Todd expected her to be upset and cling to him like she did when she was scared or remembering something from her past. He did not expect the orange in her eyes to shine as she suggested a battle. Then again, she was a wraith it shouldn't have surprised him as much as it did.

_"__I'll inform the others!"_ The soldier replied sensing Todd's agreement. He made a dismissive noise towards the soldier before turned back to his child.

_"__Would you like to fire the weapons again?"_

_"__Of course." _She smiled her orange – blue eyes full of mischief and determination.

(To Be Continued)


	3. Part III

Raised By Wraith

AN: Sorry for the rather long absence but I had some medical issues that needed to be dealt with. I am still dealing with them but I'm going to try and update this at least once a month. It might end up being once every other month though. We'll see how it goes. So thank you for reading and I'll see you next time I update. Also the program that checks my grammar isn't working at the moment so I apologize if there are misplaced commas, incorrect tenses, odd words, and other similar mistakes that are typically corrected by it.

For Reference:

_Anything written like this, are thoughts spoken using telepathy, meaning communication through minds._

**_Anything written like this are spoken using telepathy and out loud_**

Part III

(Start)

Todd sometimes felt that his child needed to do more than train or spend her time running around the hive ship being chased. He just didn't know what children generally did. Wraith didn't really raise or have children, wraith or otherwise. Strangely enough, wraith made surprisingly good parents as Todd and his hive learned. But they were also an old race that was disconnected from what children normally did.

It has been over ten thousand years since he was a child. Even the wraith under his command didn't fully understand or know what children normally did. Then his daughter being biologically different from wraith and humans made things just slightly more complicated. After all he didn't know what human children did for fun how was he supposed to speculate on what his daughter needed or wanted. To be fair though she didn't know what she needed herself.

_"__We need to find out what children normally do."_

_"__Commander?"_ His second in command asked looking at him strangely. Not entirely sure if he meant to broadcast that last thought to everyone.

_"__The child, all she does is train and run. There has to be more but I do not believe she knows what she wants as she has no experience around other children or even on other planets aside from culling." _Todd explained, wondering briefly if this conversation would be better served with his Head Scientist.

_"__Commander, could you not take her to one of the planets we control for experiment purposes? I do not think any of them are occupied currently." _He said feeling slightly offended at the idea that the Head Scientist would be know more than him. Second was one of the younger wraith on the hive ship and the Head Scientist was probably older than the Commander. Though that was pure speculation due to the fact none of them really knew what their exact age was.

_"__Do children like such things?"_

_"__Commander, we have three planets varying in terrain she is sure to like one of them. Should that fail send out one of the scientist to observe human children and what they enjoy." _He replied leaving Todd to his thoughts.

(Line Break)

_"__Father what are we doing here?"_ She questioned as they walked on the surface of the grassy planet.

**_"_****_Whatever you wish. You spend too much time training and running. Relax, do whatever pleases you."_** He replied gesturing vaguely giving her free reign of the planet.

"There are no humans here?" The child questioned hesitant to move freely around the planet without knowing about anything about the planet beforehand. When they culled planets the wraith were everywhere; she was surrounded by her family. She felt safe especially now that she was capable of defending herself more than just manipulating minds but humans always put her on edge. The wounds they left on her body had healed become scars and faded but the wounds on her mind were just as fresh as the day they were made.

_"__We have a lab here but other than that it is uninhabited." _Todd explained as he walked around with no particular goal in mind.

"Okay…" She said quietly grabbing her father's non-feeding hand. He made a questioning noise at her actions.

_"__I don't know what to do… What do children normally do?"_ She asked unsure of everything very suddenly.

"I do not know either." He knelt down to her eye level, "Shall we return the hive? I can send scouts out to research what children find enjoyable. Then you can figure it out what you would like to try." He gentle smiled at her mindful of his teeth, granted she have never be scared before it was unlikely that she would be scared now.

"Can we just sit here for awhile?" Child asked, and Todd just nodded. Child let go of her Father's hand and sat down on the grassy surface for a moment before falling backwards so she could look at the sky. Todd sat down behind her leaning back slightly to look at the sky as well.

They stayed silent for what was probably hours just watching the clouds pass by and the rotation of the two suns and three moons. It was incredible to watch and the later they stayed out the more they saw, until it reached a pinnacle where an aurora borealis appeared.

Child sat up excitedly watching the colors play in the sky. Todd chuckled deeply in his mind at his child's expression and thoughts. He noticed her hair had come loose from its braid and absent-mindedly began re-doing it while watching the colors dance in the sky with his daughter.

They waited for about an hour after the aurora borealis had faded before they headed back. Child practically asleep in his arms asked,

"Can we do that again?"

"Of course." Todd replied with a smile as he watched her try and stay awake just a little longer.

"Good." Was all she said before she fell asleep with a smile on her face.

(To Be Continued)


End file.
